Centrifugal pumps are commonly used for pumping liquids. For some liquids, such as those that contain hydrocarbons and/or water, corrosion problems arise. If the liquid is a slurry that contains solid particles suspended in it, such as an oil sand/water slurry, a tailings/water slurry, a coke/water slurry, etc. the solid particles can cause erosion/corrosion or other forms of wear to the components of the pump. Additionally, because of how centrifugal pumps operate, different components may be subjected to different forms and severity of wear and/or corrosion. Even different surfaces of the same component may be subjected to different conditions causing different forms and severity of wear and/or corrosion.
Often these centrifugal pumps are critical components of a larger system and in some cases these pumps may be the run-limiting component in these systems with respect to system reliability. Once the centrifugal pump fails, needs maintenance or components of the pump need replacing, the entire system may have to be shut down while the pump is being repaired or components replaced. Any extension of pump life that can be achieved can greatly increase the efficiency of the systems these pumps are used in.
Currently, the wet end components of these centrifugal pumps are cast as single components, requiring a single material, typically chromium white iron (CWI), to be used for these components. This can greatly limit the ability to surface engineer the various components and surfaces to tailor the performance of these parts for the operating conditions in the pump.